He's JustMacGyver
by TinkerBella7
Summary: I haven't felt up to writing because I've been sick, but after Fish Scaler I felt the need to do this little tag, based on Matty's evaluation of MacGyver. Jack feels the need to defend his friend.


Jack paced outside of the conference room, biding his time while MacGyver underwent his evaluation with Matty. Bozer and Riley had left to go get something to eat, but Jack figured he'd wait to offer the kid some moral support after his one on one with Matty the Hun. He knew, first hand, how unsettling a confrontation with their new director could be.

Just when Jack thought he might need to go in and run interference, MacGyver and Matty exited the room. Eyeing the kid from head to toe, Jack was relieved to see that Mac looked to be in one piece. He nodded at Matty as she passed by him, then wasted no time heading over to MacGyver. "So how'd it go?"

"Fine," Mac replied, stepping past Jack so he could head out to his car and make his way home.

"That's it?" Jack fell into step beside him. "That's all you have to say is *fine*?"

MacGyver shrugged, not going into any further detail. Maybe as payback to Jack for not telling him about his past with Matty Webber, or maybe because there really wasn't anything else to tell. "That's it. It was fine, Jack."

Sensing that there was definitely more to tell, Jack grabbed MacGyver by the shoulder and made him stop walking and turn to face him. "What exactly did she say to you?"

"What do you think she said to me?" Mac countered. "After all, you do know her better than the rest of us, you and she being friends once upon a time and all."

"You're just not going to let that go, are you?" Jack should have known better. When Mac sunk his teeth into something, he was like a pit bull with a bone. He didn't wait for the kid to respond before saying, "Listen, bro...give me some time to mull things over and I will tell you the deal with me and Matty. Okay?"

MacGyver realized it was time to let Jack off the hook, at least for now. "Okay," he conceded.

Jack was relieved. "Good. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to settle for you telling me that your evaluation was just *fine*."

"What do you want me to tell you, Jack?" MacGyver countered. "That it sucked?"

"Did it?" Jack wasn't going to lie, he was worried about Matty Webber's intentions towards Mac. She didn't like things, or people, to be complicated. MacGyver, however, was very complicated in so very many ways. Matty Webber wouldn't know what to do with him.

Mac sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "She challenged me to prove to her that my...unconventional...way of doing things was worth supporting. She thinks I've just been lucky and that my luck will probably run out soon."

Jack felt anger ripple through him. "Sonofabitch! She really said that to you?"

"Pretty much," MacGyver allowed. "She's said I've got one shot at proving to her that doing things my way works. If I fail, just once, my improvising days are over. She also said you are one hell of an agent and that she knows how to use you." Mac added the last bit in the hopes of distracting his friend, because he could almost feel how angry Jack was getting.

"Flattery will get her no where!" Jack snarled. "She had no right to say that to you, man! Did she not read our mission files? Does she not realize all that you've done for DXS and Phoenix? That you swoop in and save the day when no one else can get the job done?"

MacGyver appreciated Jack's support, but he felt compelled to point out, "We save the day, Jack."

Jack shook his head, "As much as we are a team, brother...you come up with the plans, I just help you follow through. I'm going to talk to Matty, I'll make her understand."

"Don't," Mac beseeched him. "She's willing to let me prove myself to her."

"You shouldn't have to do that, Mac," Jack countered, unable to let go of his anger. "You have proven yourself time and time again."

MacGyver was surprised by how upset Jack was getting. "Why does it matter so much to you?"

Jack wasn't sure he could explain why. "It just does. It's not fair of her to lay that on you. It's like she's trying to fix something that isn't broken."

"Let it go, Jack." MacGyver patted his friend on the shoulder. "Let's just do what we do and she'll see for herself that it works. That what I do, works." Mac wasn't about to let Jack know that after his talk with Matty, for all that he had assured her he was up for the challenge, a part of him felt a touch of doubt. MacGyver knew he was good at what he did and he knew that trusting his instincts and using what was around him worked for him. Still, having her call it nothing but luck...that stung more than a little. In this line of work he couldn't afford to let her shake him up, so he would go home and sleep on it and start fresh in the morning.

"Not sure I can do that, Mac," Jack stated. He got was his friend was saying, but he just couldn't shake off the anger.

MacGyver sighed. "Well, do it anyway. Okay? Just because I asked you to." Stepping past Jack he headed for the exit. "I'm going home, see you tomorrow."

Jack watched MacGyver go, leaning against the wall for a moment to think things through. He knew he should respect the kid's request to let it go, but it just didn't sit right with him. So, after taking a moment to calm down, Jack made his way back to the conference room. Matty was tapping away on an ipad and Jack cleared his throat to make her aware of his presence.

"Did you want something, Jack?" Matty asked, without looking up.

"We need to talk," he stated, moving to stand before her. "It's about MacGyver."

That surprised Matty enough that she set aside the ipad and focused all of her attention on Jack. "What about MacGyver?"

Jack decided to sit down, giving himself a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking his mind. "Here's the thing you need to know about Mac. He's one of a kind, Matty. There is nobody like him, nobody. He's the smartest person I've ever met."

"Baby Einstein," Matty countered, smirking. "I get that."

"No, you don't." Jack leaned forward, locking eyes with the woman he had quite the history with. "Mac told me what you said, that you think he's been very lucky. But it's not luck, Matty, it's smarts and skill and instinct like nothing you've ever seen before. I've been trained to follow orders and to follow rules and the whole nine yards. It works, to an extent. But you can't predict when something is going to go wrong, and something always goes wrong. On a mission, I'm playing follow the leader and that leader is MacGyver. I'm there to protect him, but that kid has saved me more than I've saved him. No matter what you throw at him, he figures out a way to solve it, or fix it or get out of it. Whatever it takes, MacGyver gets it done."

Matty raised a hand to interrupt him. "That's all well and good, Jack, but the bottom line is -"

It was Jack's turn to cut her off. "The bottom line is that MacGyver doesn't fall into any of the parameters that you're used too, but don't let that scare you. He is the sharpest tool in your shed, the greatest weapon in your arsenal, whatever metaphor you care to choose." Jack paused, realizing that Matty was surprised by his passionate tirade. "Listen...you know how to use me because you're familiar with what I do and how I operate. You don't have to guide, MacGyver, and you sure as hell aren't going to be able to keep him locked inside your little box of expectations. He is going to break down any box you try to put him in, he will just stomp all over it. Best thing you can do is take a page out of his book, let him loose and take a walk on the wild side."

"Rules aren't bad things, Jack," Matty countered, trying to get him to understand where she was coming from.

"I'm not saying they are." Jack sighed. "I'm saying thatMacGyver is trained as a soldier and an agent. He's disciplined, but he's so much more than that. How you can believe, for one minute, after reading his file, that everything he's accomplished has been nothing but luck. What he's done, at such a young age...that's not luck."

Matty sighed and shook her head. "Part of my concern is that he is so young and he's been through so much. The Foundation places a lot of expectation upon him. They ask him to do the impossible."

Jack nodded. "They do, and he never fails to deliver. And he will continue to do so, and I will continue to have his back. That's how it works. You have to trust me on that. You see, there is no one way to define the kid. He's just...MacGyver."

"I'll take your words under advisement, Jack," Matty allowed. "I wonder if MacGyver realizes how big a fan he has in you."

"I'm not a fan, Matty, I'm family," Jack stated, rising to his feet. "I appreciate you taking the time to listen to me and...if you wouldn't mind...I'd prefer you not mention this little conversation to MacGyver."

Matty smirked. "I won't say anything, but given how smart he is, don't you think he'll figure it out?"

Jack couldn't deny that one. "One last thing before I go. You told him you would only give him one chance to prove himself, but that's not fair and you know it. Nobody's perfect, Matty, we all make mistakes. You can't punish him for being human."

"I'm not trying to punish him, Jack," Matty replied. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm trying to keep him safe?"

"He doesn't need you to keep him safe if that means you stop him from doing what he does," Jack replied. "Besides which, he's been an EOD expert since he was a teenager."

Matty snorted. "Which was when, last week?" She raised her hand to stop Jack from protesting further. "I get it, I do. Your message came through loud and clear, Jack."

Jack felt relief wash over him. "Good. Because MacGyver is the best of the best, Matty, and you're lucky to have him."

"Seems to me he's pretty lucky to have you as a friend, Jack," Matty countered, smiling benignly.

"That too." Jack headed for the door. "Have a good night, boss."

With a wave, Matty shooed him out of the room before turning her attention back to the files she had been reading before Jack had interrupted her. MacGyver's files, they were her second go-through and they made for very interesting reading.

MacGyver was one of a kind indeed.

THE END


End file.
